POLITICS

Tiffany Trump's speech at LGBTQ+ 'Trump Pride' event has Twitter buzzing. Here's why.

Joshua Bote
USA TODAY

President Donald Trump’s youngest daughter, Tiffany, spoke at a “Trump Pride” rally in Tampa, Florida, over the weekend and shared her views on her father’s credibility with the LGBTQ+ community.

The event, which was held Saturday and co-hosted by Richard Grennell — the current Republican National Committee advisor — was one of Tiffany Trump’s first solo outings for her father's 2020 re-election campaign.

Grennell, appointed by Trump as acting Director of National Intelligence, was the first gay person appointed by a sitting president to a position in his Cabinet. That was a point Tiffany Trump reiterated: “My dad doesn’t look at someone … based on who you love. There should be love for all.

“I know what my father believes in,” she said during the event. “Prior to politics, he supported gays, lesbians, the LGBQIA+ community.” (She misstated the initialism — removing the “T” that stands for the transgender community.)

She also condemned the “fabricated lies” that circulated on social media about her father.

“My father has always supported all of you,” she said to applause from the audience. “He’s never done it for politics, and unfortunately there’s a lot of people out there — politicians — who do.”

Her mother, Marla Maples, Trump's second wife, was also present at the event. 

The response to Tiffany Trump's speech was swift: Santiago Mayer, the executive director of voting outreach group Voters of Tomorrow, called her “an entitled rich white girl who wants to pretend she knows (what) she’s talking about.”

Tiffany Trump quickly became a trending topic on Twitter with users on the social media platform reacting to her speech. 

The LGBTQ+ media advocacy group GLAAD shared a link on Twitter cataloging Trump’s assorted anti-LGBT actions and sentiments in office with the caption: "Here's your reminder that the Trump Administration hasn't been a friend to LGBTQ people.”

During his time in office, the president has restricted transgender people from serving in the military, opposed the Equality Act — a bill that would have ensured federal protections for LGBTQ+ people and revoked protections for transgender students in schools.

The 19th:Trump has gutted LGBTQ+ rights. Could a Biden presidency undo the damage?

GLAAD, in a report published earlier this month, found that 76 percent of LGBTQ voters favor Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden over Trump.

Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter: @joshua_bote.